Means for the heat treatment of metal sheets



May 12, 1936. J. 5. ATKINSON I MEANS FOR- THE HEAT TREATMENT OF METAL SHEETS Eiled Aug. 10, 1933 I Patented May 12, 1936 PATENT OFFICE,

MEANSFOR THE HEAT TREATMENT OF IWETAL SHEETS James Stanley Atkinson, London, England Application August 10,1933, Serial No; 684,587

In Great Britain August 16, 1932 9 Claims. 7 (Cl. 263-'-8) This invention relates to means for the heat treatment, such for example, as'normalizing, of metalsheets' such 'asthin plates.

Furnace apparatus is'known having means by wliich the'sheets during theheat treatment are suspended vertically in the "furnace, and are passed through the furnace so suspended.

The present inventionhas for object means whereby a, metal sheet may 'be' suspended in a furnace'for heat treatment therein without being exposed'or wholly exposed to the furnace gases, so that oxidation is largely obviated. A further objectis to ensure even heating of the metal sheet. Finally it is an object to provide a suspensible en- ;,velope"which is simple 'tomanufacture anduse and 'is'little' liable to warping. With these objects in view'the invention provides a suspensible flat envelope of sheet metal, closed at its bottom edge'and having, upon one face at least, forma- 20. tion's which'substantia'lly close at least one other edge'of the said envelope." The production of such an envelope from sheet metal is very simple and, as the same gauge of metal is used throughout, even 'heating'is ensured. The closure formations 25. also stiffen thefaces of the envelope and prevent warping thereof."

'Ih'e present invention comprises for use in the heat"tr'eatment of 'a'metal sheet or sheets an envelope; forthe sheet or sheets having. means 3021213 its upper edge. to suspendit 'in'a furnace or for its' attachment to conveying means to pass it through the furnace.

The side edges of either the front or back may be bent forward beyond the edges of the back or 35 =front for the purpose of preventing access of furnace gases to the sheet or'sheets supported within the envelope. In a modification of this form of the inventionthe side edges of both thefront and back may extend beyond one face 40* of the envelope.

The invention will now be described by way of embodies the stiffening top closure forming flanges, the preferred side edge closure forming flanges being omitted.

Fig. 4 shows in perspective still'another form of envelope of my invention, wherein a form 5 of the top stiffening and closure forming flanges are employed, the preferred sideedge closure forming flanges being omitted, the envelope front and rear covering walls being shown hingedly connected at the bottom and provided at thetop with latches.

The envelope of my invention provides vertical front and rear protective walls 4,5, with inter vening space to receive the sheet or sheets for heat treatment. A bottom closure is'provided'for this space and this closure constitutes a plate supporting floor, and this closure is of structure or formation to permit separation of theupper portions of the walls 4, 5, for more or less opening and closing of the envelope at the'top. m

The top formation of the envelope also provides stiffeningof the'walls4, 5, and a top closure for the plate receiving space within the envelope;

The envelope in its preferred -forms, also provides means for stiffening the walls 4, 5, and for closing the opposite vertical'ends or edges of the plate receiving space between the walls 4, 5, toprotect plate or plates within the envelope against the burning products within the furnace during heat treatment of the plates. Such vertical edge closures for the envelopes are of such formation as to permit opening and closing the envelope at the top for insertion and removal of plates. For instance, in Figs. 1 and 2, I show the opposite vertical edges of the walls4, 5,1bent laterally to form the approximately right-angle flanges II, l2, which not only stiffen and strengthen the Walls 4, 5, but substantially close the vertical ends or edges of the plate receiving space within the envelope to protect the plate therein, and permit the walls 4, 5, to swing apart and toward each other, asthe flanges l I, of wall 5, in this example, are complementary to and slidably contact the flanges l2,-'of wall'4.

Other forms of my invention, as disclosed by Figs. 3, and 4, adapted for certain installation types, while including features of my invention common to all-the forms disclosed, omit the'feature of my preferred forms that provides separable opposite end closures for the plate receiving space between walls 4, 5.

The envelope of this invention provides, preferably oomplementary, vertical front and rear covering walls 4, 5, and these Walls are flexiblyconnected at the bottom of the envelopetopermit movement of the walls, at the top of the envelope, toward and from each other, to facilitate insertion and removal of sheets. To attain this result, said front and rear walls 4, 5, can be suitably flexibly connected at the bottom of the envelope to form the supporting floor thereof, and preferably to close the bottom of the envelope against entrance of burning gases from or in the furnace.

For instance, this bottom supporting floor of the envelope can be formed by the flexible return bend I, of a single sheet where doubled on itself in my invention to form said facing and. protect- 1 ing front and rear walls 4, 5, of the envelope, as;

separate sheets hingedly connected at their horizontal lower portions, see 25, Figs. 2 and 4, to form the closing sheet-supporting floor of the envelope, and to permit opening and. closing of the envelope at the top. In this form, top pivoted hooks or latches 26, can be employed, if so desired, to normally hold the upper ends of walls 4, 5, against separation.

The top of the envelope can be variously formed to stiffen and strengthen the upper ends of the walls 4, 5, and to provide means whereby such envelopes can be suspended or supported from a conveyer through the medium of hooks or other devices, to enable the conveyer to carry the envelopes through a furnace, for subjecting the sheets within the envelopes to the required heat treatment. In the preferred forms of the invention such stiffening and supporting upper ends of the walls 4, 5, also provide a closure for the upper end of the envelope for the protection of the sheet or sheets contained therein and carried thereby.

For instance, in the forms of the invention disclosed by Figs. 1 and 3, the upper ends of the upright protective walls 4, 5 are bent over either forwardly or rearwardly, at an angle, to form laterally-projecting complementary flanges 3, 2, to

-. strengthen and stiffen the upper end of the envelope and to constitute a top closure therefor, and to provide means whereby the envelope can be suspended or otherwise supported from or grasped by the arms, or hooks of said conveyer. These approximately parallel laterally projecting angularly arranged flanges 2, 3, preferably lap one over the other with a sliding engagement.

In the example disclosed by Figs. 2 and 4, the

envelope top closure and attaching and stiffening means, are formed by the complementary approximately L-shaped flanges 6, 1, formed by bending the upper ends of facing walls 4, 5, respectively, inwardly toward eachother and then vertically upwardly, to close the envelope top and provide abutting vertical flanges. These abutting vertical portions of the closure forming flanges 6, I, are preferably formed with a series of elongated slots or holes 8, to receive envelope suspending or supporting means, and to permit a number of thus suspended envelopes being arranged close together on the suspending means.

It will be understood that if desired automatic means may be provided in the furnace for releasing envelopes from the conveyor but such does not form part of the present invention and is already known.

The envelopes may be formed of heat resisting material and they are preferably of a size slightly greater than the dimensions of the sheets to be treated. If desired more than one sheet may be supported in a single envelope. I

It will be understood that the continuous front and back surfaces of the envelope prevent access of furnace gases to the sheet or sheets supported in it and oxidation of their outer surfaces is thus avoided.

What I claim is:

1. For use in the heat treatment of a metal sheet, a sheet-metal envelope for the sheet having means to suspend it in a furnace constituted by a bent-overportion of one at least of the front and back top edges of said sheet metal envelope.

2. For use in the heat treatment of a metal sheet, a sheet metal envelope of substantially U-shape for suspending the sheet in a furnace, the sides of said U-shaped envelope being sub-- stantially closed by flanges extending from one face at least of said envelope.

3. For use in the heat treatment of a metal sheet, .a sheet metal envelope of substantially U-shape for suspending the sheet in a furnace, the sides of said U-shaped envelope being substantially closed by flanges extending fro-m one face of said envelope and projecting beyond the other face of said envelope.

4. For use in the heat treatment of a metal sheet a metal envelope of substantially U-shape' for suspending in a furnace, the sides of said U-shaped envelope being substantially closed by flanges extending from both faces of the envelope and the flanges on one face engaging those on the other face.

5. For use in the heat treatment of a metal sheet, .a suspensible flat envelope of sheet metal closed at its bottom edge, hinge means connecting the two faces of the envelope at the said bottom edge, latch means securing one of the said faces to the other at the top edge, and flange-formations providedupon the said faces and adapted substantially to close at least one other edge of the envelope.

6. A sheet-metal envelope for substantially covering and suspending a metal sheet in a furnace for heat treatment, said envelope embodying front and rear sheet-metal Walls provided with a bottom closure-forming sheet-supporting floor, said walls adapted for relative movements above said floor toward and from each other for envelope reception and discharge of sheets, the tops of said walls providing stiffening means for support of the envelope when suspended, said envelope provided with wall stiffening and envelope closure-forming flanges, such flanges constructed and arranged to permit said relative movements of the walls toward and from each other.

'7. For use in the heat treatment of metal sheets, an envelope for suspending and substantially covering such a sheet in a furnace, said envelope having front and rear upstanding sheetmetal walls connected at the bottom of the envelope to provide the envelope with a covering and sheet-upholding floor, the top of said envelope provided with an envelope stiffening flanged formation for the attachment of suspending means, said bottom connection providing for relative approaching and separating movements between said sheet-metal walls for opening and closing said envelope for reception and discharge of metal sheets.

8. For use in the heat treatment of metal sheets; an envelope for substantially enclosing such a metal sheet while suspended in a furnace, said envelope having stiffening sheet-metal flanged formations to substantially cover the opposite vertical edges of the sheet receiving space Within the envelope, said flanged formations being separable to permit opening and closing of said envelope, said envelope embodying sheetmetal upstanding front and rear walls provided with a bottom closure connection and sheet supporting floor.

9. An envelope formed at its upper end to receive suspending means, said envelope adapted to receive and substantially cover and suspend a metal sheet in' a furnace for heat treatment, said envelope embodying an envelope stiffening flange Ionnation i'or normally substantially closing the top of the envelope, said envelope embodying walls for reception and discharge of sheets, said flange formation being separable topermit said movements.

JAMES STANLEY ATKINSON. 

